Mitt Romney: spot his gaffes – quiz

Mitt Romney is in the news again following his latest gaffe, recorded during a behind-closed-doors fundraiser in May but only recently made public. Some 47% of Americans, the Republican US presidential candidate suggested, are government-dependent “victims” who do not pay taxes or take responsibility for their lives and about whom “it’s not my job to worry”. (He later said his argument was not “elegantly stated”, but declined to disavow it.)
Here are some more Romney gaffes, mixed up with a few from other White House hopefuls and, indeed, occupants. Can you tell which are which?

1.On making the case for greater consumer choice in health insurance: “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”

Mitt Romney

John McCain

2.Addressing unemployed people in Florida: “I should tell my story. I’m also unemployed.”

Mitt Romney

George W Bush

3.More on the evils of Obamacare: “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”

Mitt Romney

Sarah Palin

4.On what a great country is the US of A: “I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.”

Mitt Romney

Bill Clinton

5.On his rival for the presidency: “The other day [the president] said, I know you’ve had some rough times, and I want to do something that will show the nation what faith that I have in you, in your maturity and sense of responsibility. Would you like a puppy?”

Mitt Romney

Dan Quayle

6.How to win friends and influence people while visiting foreign lands: “It’s hard to know just how well they will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting. The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging.”

Mitt Romney

Barack Obama

7.On the vagaries of history: “The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation’s history. No, not our nation’s, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn’t live in this century, but in this century’s history.” (Also, and on much the same lines: “People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history.”

Mitt Romney

Dan Quayle

8.On the importance of a good marriage in matters political: “I want to share with you an interesting program – for two reasons, one, it’s interesting, and two, my wife thought of it – or has actually been involved with it; she didn’t think of it. But she thought of it for this speech.”

Mitt Romney

George W Bush

9.On strapping his dog to the roof of his car: “Peta is not happy that my dog likes fresh air.”

Mitt Romney

Barack Obama

10.On that pesky business of history, again: “Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people.”

Mitt Romney

George W Bush

11.How to win friends and influence people visiting a neighbourhood bakery while on the campaign trail: “I’m not sure about these cookies. They don’t look like you made them. No, no. They came from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever.”

Mitt Romney

Bill Clinton

12.On the problems facing gaffe-prone politicians everywhere: “As I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.”